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This article is more than 1 year old
Cisco's Norwegian buy looking dodgy
Few takers for $3bn offer
Cisco's takeover plans for Norwegian video conferencing firm Tandberg are looking increasingly shaky - less than ten per cent of shareholders have so far voted in favour of the deal.
Cisco has already extended the deadline for acceptance until 18 November in face of shareholders' lack of enthusiasm. If 90 per cent of shareholders have not voted in favour of the takeover by the close of business on the 18th, then Cisco will have to decide whether or not to withdraw the offer.
The networking giant, quickly gaining a foothold in consumer electronics, told the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday that only 9.37 per cent of Tandberg shareholders had agreed to the deal.
The $3bn offer was 25 per cent more than the shares had been trading at over the three months prior to the bid.
But Tandberg shareholders have suggested the firm would do better as an independent business, unless Cisco can increase the offer.
Ned Hooper, Cisco's VP of corporate development signalled clearly last month that he believes the firm could, and should, walk away from the deal rather than get tied up in a bidding war.
Video conferencing and collaboration are two of the many new areas of focus for Cisco - it paid another $3bn for WebEx two years ago.
The company is determined to extend its hold on the networking market into other areas, including conferencing and consumer electronics. ®


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Australian Attorney-General Atkinson Resigns, Opening Door for End to Video Game 'Bans'
Australia currently has no equivalent of the adults-only 'R18+' rating available to films for video games, which meant that games deemed by too mature for the highest rating of MA15+ could not legally be sold, rented or demonstrated--effectively banning them.
Atkinson has become a villainous figure as the only of Australia's attorneys-general to publicly oppose the creation of an R18+ rating--which requires a unanimous decision--and reportedly receiving a torrent of abuse and threats for his decisions.
Numerous high-profile titles have been affected by the lack of an adults-only rating. Valve Software's zombie bloodbath Left 4 Dead 2 was famously deemed too gory for MA15+ and when its appeal failed, the developer released a de-gored version.
Fallout 3 had to tweak its representation of drugs before it was classified MA15+ and appeal by publisher Sega was necessary for Aliens vs. Predator to receive its rating.
While Atkinson will still hold his seat in Parliament until 2014, he will be replaced as attorney-general for South Australia immediately--though of course there's no guarantee that his replacement will be any more fond of violent video games and legislation changes could take time.
In December 2009, the Australian government solicited the public for their opinions on an R18+ classification for video games. A report based on the feedback is in the works.
Atkinson will be spending his new-found free time with his family.

subset: commoncrawl


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An official website of the United States government
News Release 2011-4 | January 19, 2011
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WASHINGTON — Joyce Cofield was named Executive Director for the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion at the Office of the Comptroller of Currency.
In this role, Ms. Cofield will report to the Comptroller of the Currency and provide executive direction, set policies, and oversee all matters of the OCC relating to diversity in management, employment, and business activities. The new position was established pursuant to Section 342 of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
"Joyce is a seasoned executive and her 28 years in human capital management, workforce diversity, and business operations gives her the breadth of experience necessary to succeed in this challenging new position," acting Comptroller of the Currency John Walsh said.
"I expect Joyce to build upon her successful record of recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce at the OCC," Mr. Walsh said. "Her efforts have helped the OCC stay atop the list of 'Best Places To Work' in the federal government for issues relating to the broadest definition of diversity and by helping to create a truly inclusive environment."
Prior to this new role, Ms. Cofield served as Director of Workplace Fairness and Equal Opportunity and Director of Recruitment, Diversity and Retention. She has held a number of leadership roles in human capital since joining the agency in 2001. Prior to joining the OCC, she served in a variety of human capital and diversity positions with Polaroid Corporation. She holds a bachelor of science degree from Virginia Union University and a master of science from Boston University.
Bryan Hubbard (202) 874-5770


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On the rare weekend where there really isn't anything urgent to accomplish, Paul and I like to undertake some type of cooking project together while the child naps. When Matthew naps, he is normally passed out for at least 2 hours, leaving us with a wide window of opportunity to expand our culinary skills or just make something fun for dinner. Normally, we try to make something in bulk that can be frozen for future hectic weeknights when we may need to prepare dinner in a hurry. In the past, we have tackled Chinese BBQ Pork Buns, Gnocchi (both regular and sweet potato), Ravioli, Tortellini, and Sushi. A few weekends ago, Paul and I decided to make a couple varieties of steamed dumplings that one might find in a Chinese dim sum restaurant.
We chose to make a bunch of these little dumplings, but wanted to make two types of filling. We settled on a more traditional pork filling and a delicious-sounding Thai-style chicken filling (we have really been loving our green curry paste so why not incorporate this ingredient into a steamed dumpling). The fillings came together in a jiffy, thanks to our handy dandy food processor, but shaping and filling the dumplings took a little bit of practice. As you can see from the photos, we never really managed to make these look outstandingly professional, but at least the filling was contained and nothing exploded during the steaming process. After filling and shaping the dumplings, we set up our steamer basket over a pot of simmering water and cooked the little things until the meat was completely firm. Served with a side of soy sauce (or Fish Sauce and lime juice for the Thai-style dumplings), this was a fun and delicious dinner! We even made sure to pick up some chopsticks from the sushi bar at our grocery store.
We made about 60 dumplings with these recipes and froze 2/3 of them for later dinners. The frozen dumplings can be steamed directly from frozen by simply adding an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time. They taste almost as good as fresh!
Shrimp and Pork Shu Mai
from Cook's Illustrated
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
1 pound boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, tails removed and halved lengthwise (see note)
1/4 cup water chestnuts, chopped
4 dried shiitake mushroom caps (about 3/4 ounce), soaked in hot water 30 minutes, squeezed dry, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon Chinese rice cooking wine (Shaoxing) or dry sherry
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 package 5 1/2 inch wonton or eggroll wrappers
Combine soy sauce and gelatin in small bowl. Set aside to allow gelatin to bloom, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place half of pork in food processor and pulse until coarsely ground into approximate 1/8-inch pieces, about ten 1-second pulses; transfer to large bowl. Add shrimp and remaining pork to food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped into approximate ¼-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses. Transfer to bowl with more finely ground pork. Stir in soy sauce mixture, water chestnuts, mushrooms, cornstarch, cilantro, sesame oil, wine, vinegar, sugar, ginger, salt, and pepper.
Divide wrappers into 3 stacks (with about 6-7 per stack). Using 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut two 3-inch rounds from each stack of egg roll wrappers (you should have 40-42 rounds). Cover rounds with moist paper towels to prevent drying.
Working with 6 rounds at a time, brush edges of each round lightly with water. Place heaping tablespoon of filling into center of each round. Following illustrations below, form dumplings, crimping wrapper around sides of filling and leaving top exposed. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with damp kitchen towel, and repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Cut piece of parchment slightly smaller than diameter of steamer basket and place in basket. Poke about 20 small holes in parchment and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. Place batches of dumplings on parchment liner, making sure they are not touching. Set steamer over simmering water and cook, covered, until no longer pink, 8-10 minutes.
Thai-Style Curried Chicken Filling
adapted from Cook's Illustrated
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup minced onion (from 1 small onion)
1/4 cup minced celery (from 1 small celery stalk)
1 small clove garlic, minced, (at least 1/2 teaspoon)
2 medium carrots, shredded (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon red curry paste
3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
6 ounces ground chicken
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Pinch of table salt
2 tablespoons shredded fresh cilantro leaves
1 package wonton wrappers
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions, celery and garlic; sauté until almost softened, about 3 minutes. Add carrots; sauté until vegetables soften, about 2 minutes longer. Add curry paste and coconut milk; cook over medium-high heat, stirring to incorporate curry paste, until most of coconut milk has been absorbed. Transfer vegetables mixture to a bowl; cool to room temperature.
Mix in remaining filling ingredients. Let stand about 30 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to make dumplings.
Fill and steam dumplings according to the directions detailed in the recipe for Shrimp and Pork Shu Mai. Serve with additional fish sauce seasoned with sugar and lime juice! Enjoy!


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This is issue is definitely a customer favorite as it is the one that sells out the fastest, so please don't delay! I have a limited quantity coming in mid November and you don't want to miss out. ORDER HERE. It's absolutely FULL of Christmas and winter decorating ideas as well as gifts to make. Here's one of my favorites from a past Christmas issue, Christmas Coffee. Be careful it's addictive!
Perfect for gift giving too!
(This is a pre-order item, I expect to receive them mid November and will mail out reserved copies immediately.)


text: Space | 19. December 2017 | posted by Clemens Plank SOFIA, the two-fold stargazer Credit: DLR / Clemens Plank I have worked in the Space Science Department at the DLR Space Administration since October 2016. I could not imagine a better job than my own as SOFIA project engineer. I tend to commute between Bonn and California quite regularly as the NASA/DLR airborne observatory has its home base in Palmdale. But for around a month now, I have been in Hamburg with SOFIA. Like any other aircraft, this one – registered as N747NA and named the Clipper Lindbergh – requires regular maintenance. This is no ordinary aircraft, though, as the Clipper Lindbergh is just one of 45 special variants of the classic Boeing 747 that were ever built: a so-called 747SP (special performance). Fewer than eight of these 'old timers' remain in service today. What is more, the Clipper Lindberg was modified to make space for the SOFIA telescope, which weighs 'just' 17 tons. So we are dealing with quite a few special features all at once. That is why inspections for its next certification are now on the agenda, and they are far more detailed than those for normal airliners or cars.##markend## So it is handy that there is a 'specialist aircraft workshop' in Hamburg that is extremely familiar with the 747SP type. An even greater advantage is that this workshop regularly services 'special mission' aircraft. Unusual and by no means everyday situations crop up repeatedly in this kind of exhaustive and out-of-the-ordinary inspection. As photography is my favourite hobby, in addition to astronomy, I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Credit: DLR / Clemens Plank SOFIA touched down in Hamburg on 20 November 2017 at 08:45 local time It was taken immediately for the first functional tests in order to assess SOFIA's 'general state of health'. These tests were carried out in an open hangar at the Lufthansa Technik complex. Inside the @lhtechnik engine test hangar during our scheduled maintenance. #nasa747 Ein Beitrag geteilt von SOFIA Telescope (@sofiatelescope) am 4. Dez 2017 um 7:41 Uhr However fascinating SOFIA's intricate engineering may be, the science it conducts is even more fascinating An approximately six-by-four metre sliding door was fitted to the fuselage of the aircraft between 1997 and 2007 in order to give the infrared telescope an unobstructed view of the stars. But few people know that even the 'original model' of the 747SP already allowed celestial observation through a sliding door. Although this door was significantly smaller and designed for a different purpose, it was nevertheless almost as exciting as the current feature. This original sliding door or hatch is still located at the top of the cockpit, behind the seat of the flight engineer, whose duties in the past included using a sextant to double check the imprecise GPS position during transatlantic flights. This is the same technology that seafarers used in bygone times to navigate the 'eternal ocean'. Interestingly: it is not just sailors that use a sextant; Apollo astronauts also used one to adjust their trajectory to the Moon. This method of navigation is now a thing of the past, of course, and is no longer used in aircraft. But it was once absolutely crucial on long-haul flights, as the dead zone above the Atlantic and the declination of the magnetic needle on the compass close to the pole presented severe challenges for pilots. This small sliding door was therefore of invaluable assistance. Credit: DLR / Clemens Plank Left: the approximately five-centimetre sliding door, closed Right: the opened hatch offers a clear view of the stars during flight The sextant is fitted on the metal mount around the opening. The sliding door is opened by simply pulling on the yellow knob. This will significantly increase the volume level during flight, but it does not lead to any dangerous pressure fluctuations in the cabin, as the opening is too small. The scarf in the next images indicates where SOFIA's 'original sliding door' is located. Credit: DLR / Clemens Plank It is not always an 'X' that marks the spot. In this image, it is a scarf that sinks into the opening of the sextant. The much larger hatch in the foreground is the emergency exit. Meticulous maintenance – scrutinising SOFIA This kind of hatch is nowhere to be found in modern aircraft, of course. But even the latest models require regular maintenance. One of the most fascinating aspects during maintenance is the docking procedure. It takes place after the initial functional tests. Docking means that the aircraft is mounted on supports, known as jacks, and then surrounded by scaffolding. Credit: DLR / Clemens Plank The 'docked' aircraft, surrounded by walkable scaffolding This gives the maintenance staff easier access to all areas of the aircraft. The approximately 300-ton 747SP is positioned on five jacks in order to conduct thorough inspections of the undercarriage as well. Credit: DLR / Clemens Plank The tripods marked with red arrows are known as jacks Padding, a version of jacking Jacking means that the weight is transferred from the landing gear, where it normally rests, to five defined attachment points on the aircraft. This is the best way to provide access for work on the undercarriage. But jacking also causes a slight deformation of the fuselage, as the aircraft 'bends' due to the unnatural load distribution. Although not severe, the change in shape is visible – and can prevent other maintenance work on the aircraft. This is why SOFIA was additionally placed on so-called pads, which spreads the weight of the aircraft quite naturally across the landing gear. Credit: DLR / Clemens Plank A rare view of the aircraft from below: the landing gear stands on pads; sections of the fuselage are open, and some tyres on the main landing gear have been removed (on the left).


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No-IP Free
A few months ago I began using the No-IP Free service in order to be able to access my home network using a hostname or fixed IP address. This worked well until a couple of weeks ago when I started getting the error "no host". I logged in to No-IP and could find no reference to my account. So I recreated it with the same details and it is working fine again.
I vaguely recall seeing something to the effect that to keep the free account active you are supposed to log in once a month. The trouble is I find it hard enough remembering what day of the week it is never mind something like that. Previously I had used the DynDNS free service but that didn't like the frequency with which my broadband changes IP address. My broadband provider says that I can only have a fixed IP address if I have a business account. It would be cheaper to stump up $20 a year for the No-IP Enhanced account. But being a dyed-in-the-wool cheapskate I'd like to avoid doing that. Any recommendations for free IP services that stay working as long as you want?


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If you want graphics (module CGIGraphics) and you have the same setup as my machine (not that unlikely), all you have to do is create two directories /tmp/REGISTRY and /tmp/Images. If the graphics part still does not work, then consider the following hints.
pbmPath = "/usr/X11R6/bin/"in file CGIGraphics.hs to point to the place where pbmplus is installed on your machine.
An extended version of Simon Marlow's webserver (hws) that runs WASH modules as servlets. WASH modules are compiled transparently and dynamically loaded into the running server. Each servlet runs in one of three modes: LogOnly (using a log to reconstruct the current state like WASH's CGI implementation), StateIDOnly (running a thread for each session and continuing in the same thread with each form submission), LogAndState (use a thread for efficiency and keep the log for robustness).
(in src/prelude.h).


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República de Moçambique | |
Flag | Coat of Arms |
Capital | Maputo |
Government | Parliamentary democracy |
Language | Portuguese, Emakhuwa, Xichangana (official) |
President | Filipe Nyusi |
Prime minister | Carlos Agostinho do Rosário |
Area | 308,642 sq. mi. |
Population | 31,250,000 (2020) |
GDP 2007 est. | $9.788 billion |
GDP per capita | $956 |
Currency | Metical |
The Republic of Mozambique is a country on the south-eastern coast of Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel and located between South Africa and Tanzania. A Portuguese colony until independence in 1975, the subsequent mass-immigration of settlers, economic dependence on South Africa, a severe drought, and a prolonged civil war hindered the country's development until the mid 1990s.
The ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) party formally abandoned Marxism in 1989, and a new constitution the following year provided for multiparty elections and a free market economy. A UN-negotiated peace agreement between FRELIMO and rebel Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO) forces ended the fighting in 1992. In December 2004, Mozambique underwent a delicate transition as Joaquim Chissano stepped down after 18 years in office. His elected successor, Armando Emilio Guebuza, promised to continue the sound economic policies that have encouraged foreign investment. Mozambique has seen very strong economic growth since the end of the civil war largely due to post-conflict reconstruction.
- Area: 308,642 sq. miles; slightly less than twice the size of California.
- Major cities: Capital—Maputo (pop. 1.2 million—2005 est.); Beira, Matola, Nampula, Quelimane, Tete, Nacala.
- Terrain: Varies from lowlands to high plateau.
- Climate: Tropical to subtropical.
Mozambique's major ethnic groups encompass numerous subgroups with diverse languages, dialects, cultures, and histories. Many are linked to similar ethnic groups living in neighboring countries. The north-central provinces of Zambezia and Nampula are the most populous, with about 45% of the population. The estimated 4 million Makhuwa are the dominant group in the northern part of the country. The Sena and Ndau are prominent in the Zambezi valley, and the Tsonga and Shangaan dominate in southern Mozambique.
Despite the influence of Islamic coastal traders and European colonizers, the people of Mozambique have largely retained an indigenous culture based on small-scale agriculture. Mozambique's most highly developed art forms are wood sculpture, for which the Makonde in northern Mozambique are particularly renowned, and dance. The middle and upper classes continue to be heavily influenced by the Portuguese colonial and linguistic heritage.
Under the colonial regime, educational opportunities for black Mozambicans were limited, and 93% of that population was illiterate. In fact, most of today's political leaders were educated in missionary schools. After independence, the government placed a high priority on expanding education, which reduced the illiteracy rate to about two-thirds of the population, as primary school enrollment increased. Unfortunately, in recent years school construction and teacher training enrollments have not kept up with population growth. With post-war enrollments reaching all-time highs, the quality of education has suffered.
- Nationality: Noun and adjective—Mozambican(s).
- Population (2009 est.): 20.4 million; 48.2% male and 51.8% female.
- Population annual growth rate (2009): 1.7%.
- Ethnic groups: Makhuwa, Tsonga, Makonde, Shangaan, Shona, Sena, Ndau, and other indigenous groups, and approximately 10,000 Europeans, 35,000 Euro-Africans, and 15,000 South Asians.
- Religions: Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous African and other beliefs 40% (1997 census—recent estimates give a higher Muslim percentage).
- Languages: Portuguese (official), various indigenous languages.
- Education: Mean years of schooling (adults over 25): men 2.1, women 1.2. Primary net enrollment rate (2005)--78%. Adult illiteracy rate (2008)--52.2%.
- Health: Infant mortality rate (2007)--111/1,000. Life expectancy (2007)--40.4 years.
- Work force (9.4 million est. 2006): Agriculture—81%; industry—6%; services—13% (1997 estimate).
During the colonial era, Christian missionaries were active in Mozambique, and many foreign clergy remain in the country. According to the national census, about 40% of the population is Christian, at least 20% is Muslim, and the remainder adheres to traditional beliefs. According to the 1997 census, 24% of the population of 19.9 million are Roman Catholic, 22% Protestant, 20% Muslim, and one-third do not profess a religion or belief; however, religious leaders speculated that a significant number of this group practiced some form of traditional indigenous religions, a category not included in the 1997 census. The South Asian immigrant population is predominantly Muslim.
Major Christian groups include Anglican, Baptist, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Congregational, Methodist, Nazarene, Presbyterian, Jehovah's Witnesses, Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, and Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, as well as evangelical, apostolic, and Pentecostal churches. The three principal Islamic organizations are the Mohammedan Community, Islamic Congress, and Islamic Council. There are small Jewish, Hindu, and Baha'i groups.
Religious communities are dispersed throughout the country. The northern provinces are predominantly Muslim, particularly along the coast, while areas of the northern interior have a stronger concentration of Christian communities. Christians are generally more numerous in the southern and central regions, but Muslims are also present in these areas.
Muslim journalists report that the distinction between Sunni and Shi'a is not particularly important for many local Muslims, and Muslims are much more likely to identify themselves by the local religious leader they follow than as Sunni or Shi'a.
Many small, independent Protestant and Catholic churches that have split from mainstream denominations fuse African traditional beliefs and practices within a Christian framework. The country's leading mosques and the Catholic Church have gradually eliminated many traditional indigenous practices from their places of worship; however, some Christian and Muslim adherents continue to incorporate traditional practices and rituals.
Most places of worship nationalized by the Government in 1977 have been returned to their respective religious organizations; however, the Catholic Church and a few Muslim communities maintained that other properties, including schools, health centers, and private residences, remaining in state hands belong to them and continued to press for their return. The issue of restitution is complex, as many of these buildings continued to be used for government-administered schools and clinics.
While all major religious groups are represented in the National Assembly and government ministries, many Muslims felt underrepresented because the majority of leadership positions in the Government and media services were held by Christians.
In Jan 2024, an article in Islamic State (ISIS) weekly claims ten civilians killed, over 200 houses burned in series of attacks against Christian villages in northern Mozambique in two-week span.[1]
Government and Political Conditions
Mozambique is a constitutional democracy with an estimated population of 20 million. President Armando Guebuza was elected in 2004 in what national and international observers judged to be generally free and fair elections, despite some irregularities.
The Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) has been the ruling political party since independence in 1975, heavily influencing both policymaking and implementation. While civilian authorities generally maintain effective control of the security forces, there have been some instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently. In 1994 the country held its first democratic elections. Joaquim Chissano was elected President with 53% of the vote, and a 250-member National Assembly was voted in with 129 FRELIMO deputies, 112 RENAMO deputies, and 9 representatives of three smaller parties that formed the Democratic Union (UD). By 1999, more than one-half (53%) of the legislation passed originated in the Assembly.
After some delays, in 1998 the country held its first local elections to provide for local representation and some budgetary authority at the municipal level. The principal opposition party, RENAMO, boycotted the local elections, citing flaws in the registration process. Independent slates contested the elections and won seats in municipal assemblies. Turnout was very low.
In the aftermath of the 1998 local elections, the government resolved to make more accommodations to the opposition's procedural concerns for the second round of multiparty national elections in 1999. Working through the National Assembly, the electoral law was rewritten and passed by consensus in December 1998. Financed largely by international donors, a very successful voter registration was conducted from July to September 1999, providing voter registration cards to 85% of the potential electorate (more than 7 million voters).
The second general elections were held December 3–5, 1999, with high voter turnout. International and domestic observers agreed that the voting process was well organized and went smoothly. Both the opposition and observers subsequently cited flaws in the tabulation process that, had they not occurred, might have changed the outcome. In the end, however, international and domestic observers concluded that the close result of the vote reflected the will of the people.
The second local elections, involving 33 municipalities with some 2.4 million registered voters, took place in November 2003. This was the first time that FRELIMO, RENAMO-UE, and independent parties competed without significant boycotts. The 24% turnout was well above the 15% turnout in the first municipal elections. FRELIMO won 28 mayoral positions and the majority in 29 municipal assemblies, while RENAMO won 5 mayoral positions and the majority in 4 municipal assemblies. The voting was conducted without violent incidents. However, the period immediately after the elections was marked by objections about voter and candidate registration and vote tabulation, as well as calls for greater transparency.
The third general elections occurred on December 1–2, 2004. FRELIMO candidate Armando Guebuza won with 64% of the popular vote. His opponent, Afonso Dhlakama of RENAMO, received 32% of the popular vote. The estimated 44% turnout was well below the almost 70% turnout in the 1999 general elections. FRELIMO won 160 seats in Parliament. A coalition of RENAMO and several small parties won the 90 remaining seats. Armando Guebuza was inaugurated as the President of Mozambique on February 2, 2005. Elections in Mozambique's 43 municipalities took place on November 19, 2008. FRELIMO mayoral candidates won in 42 of the 43 contests. Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 28, 2009.
Despite the government's strong anticorruption rhetoric, corruption in the executive and legislative branches was widely perceived to be endemic in 2008. The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators reflected that corruption was a serious problem, with no change in ranking from the previous year. For the first time in five years, the country dropped in Transparency International's 2008 Corruption Perception Index, indicating that corruption was rampant. Petty corruption by low-level government officials to supplement low incomes, and high-level corruption by a small group of politically and economically connected elites continued to be the norm. Corruption largely resulted from a lack of checks and balances, minimal accountability, and a culture of impunity. Local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as the Center for Public Integrity, and media groups continued to be the main civic forces fighting corruption, reporting and investigating numerous corruption cases. The law requires that all members of the government declare and deposit their assets with the Constitutional Council, but does not require that such information be made available to the general public.
Principal Government Officials
- President—Filipe Nyusi
- Prime Minister—Carlos Agostinho do Rosário
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation—Oldemiro Baloi
- Minister of Finance—Manuel Chang
- Minister of National Defense--
- Minister of the Interior—Jose Pacheco
- Minister of Industry and Commerce—Antonio Fernando
- Minister of Justice—Maria Benvinda Levi
- Minister of Agriculture—Soares Nhaca
- Minister in the Presidency for Diplomatic Affairs—Francisco Caetano Madeira
Foreign Relations
While allegiances dating back to the liberation struggle remain relevant, Mozambique's foreign policy has become increasingly pragmatic. The twin pillars of Mozambique's foreign policy are maintenance of good relations with its neighbors and maintenance and expansion of ties to development partners.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, Mozambique's foreign policy was inextricably linked to the struggles for majority rule in Rhodesia and South Africa, as well as superpower competition and the Cold War. Mozambique's decision to enforce UN sanctions against Rhodesia and deny that country access to the sea led Ian Smith's regime to undertake overt and covert actions to destabilize the country, including sponsoring the rebel group RENAMO. After the change of government in Zimbabwe in 1980, the apartheid regime in South Africa continued to finance the destabilization of Mozambique.
The 1984 Nkomati Accord, while failing in its goal of ending South African support to RENAMO, opened initial diplomatic contacts between the Mozambican and South African Governments. This process gained momentum with South Africa's elimination of apartheid, which culminated in the establishment of full diplomatic relations in October 1993. While relations with neighboring Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania show occasional strains, Mozambique's ties to these countries remain strong.
In the years immediately following its independence, Mozambique benefited from considerable assistance from some western countries, notably the Scandinavians. Moscow and its allies, however, became Mozambique's primary economic, military, and political supporters and its foreign policy reflected this linkage. This began to change in 1983; in 1984 Mozambique joined the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Western aid quickly replaced Soviet support, with the Scandinavians, the United States, the Netherlands, and the European Union becoming increasingly important sources of development assistance. Italy also maintains a profile in Mozambique as a result of its key role during the peace process. Relations with Portugal, the former colonial power, are complex and of some importance as Portuguese investors play a visible role in Mozambique's economy.
Mozambique is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and ranks among the moderate members of the African Bloc in the United Nations and other international organizations. Mozambique also belongs to the Organization of African Unity/African Union and the Southern African Development Community. In 1994, the government became a full member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, in part to broaden its base of international support but also to please the country's sizeable Muslim population. Similarly, in early 1996 Mozambique joined its Anglophone neighbors in the Commonwealth. In the same year, Mozambique became a founding member and the first President of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), and maintains close ties with other Lusophone states.
At the end of the civil war in 1992, Mozambique ranked among the poorest countries in the world. It still ranks among the least developed nations with very low socioeconomic indicators. In the last decade, however, Mozambique has experienced a notable economic recovery. Per capita GDP in 2008 was estimated at U.S. $956, a significant increase over the mid-1980s level of U.S. $120. With high foreign debt and a good track record on economic reform, Mozambique was the first African nation and sixth country worldwide to qualify for debt relief under the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) initial HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) Initiative. In April 2000, Mozambique qualified for the Enhanced HIPC program and reached its completion point in September 2001. This led to the Paris Club members agreeing in November 2001 to substantially reduce the remaining bilateral debt, resulting in the complete forgiveness of a considerable volume of bilateral debt. The United States already finished the process and has forgiven Mozambique's debt.
During their summit in Scotland in July 2005, the G8 nations agreed to significant multilateral debt relief for the world's least developed nations. On December 21, 2005, the IMF formalized the complete cancellation of all Mozambican IMF debt contracted prior to January 1, 2005, worth U.S. $153 million.
- GDP (2007): $9.788 billion.
- Annual economic (GDP) growth rate (2008): 6.5%.
- Per capita gross domestic product (2008): $956.
- Natural resources: Hydroelectric power, coal, natural gas, titanium ore, tantalite, graphite, iron ore, semi-precious stones, and arable land.
- Agriculture (21% of GDP; annual growth 7.9%): Exports—cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers, beef and poultry. Domestically consumed food crops—corn, pigeon peas, cassava, rice, beef, pork, chicken, and goat.
- Industry (31% of GDP; annual growth 10%): Types—food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), aluminum, petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, and tobacco.
- Services (39.7% of GDP; annual growth 4.7%).
- Trade: Imports (2008)--$3.29 billion. Import commodities—machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, chemicals, metal products, foodstuffs and textiles. Main suppliers—South Africa, Netherlands, Portugal. Exports (2008)--$2.7 billion. Export commodities—aluminum, cashews, prawns, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber, bulk electricity, natural gas. Main markets—Belgium, South Africa, Zimbabwe.
The resettlement of civil war refugees, political stability, and continuing economic reforms have led to a high economic growth rate. Between 1994 and 2006, average annual GDP growth was approximately 8%. Mozambique achieved this growth rate even though the devastating floods of 2000 slowed GDP growth to 2.1%. As of 2008, the average growth rate was at 6.5%. Future strong expansion requires continued economic reforms, major foreign direct investment, and the resurrection of the agriculture, transportation, and tourism sectors. Focusing on economic growth in the agricultural sector is a major challenge for the government. Although more than 80% of the population engages in small-scale agriculture, the sector suffers from inadequate infrastructure, commercial networks, and investment. However, a majority of Mozambique's arable land is still uncultivated, leaving room for considerable growth.
The government's tight control of spending and the money supply, combined with financial sector reform, successfully reduced inflation from 70% in 1994 to less than 5% in 1998-1999. Economic disruptions resulting from the devastating floods of 2000 caused inflation to jump to 12.7% that year. The government is still working to bring inflation down to those lower numbers. In 2004 inflation was 9.1%; in 2005 it climbed to 11.2%; in 2006 it dropped back down to 9.4%. As of May 2009, the floating exchange rate was approximately 26.7 meticais per dollar. (Note: In July 2006 the government revised its currency, dropping three zeros. Thus a coin formerly worth 1,000 meticais was from then on worth only one metical. And thus, where a dollar previously had been worth, for example, 26,000 meticais, it was from July onward worth 26.)
Economic reform has been extensive. More than 1,200 state-owned enterprises (mostly small) have been privatized. Preparations for privatization and/or sector liberalization are underway for the remaining parastatals, including telecommunications, electricity, ports, and the railroads. The government frequently selects a strategic foreign investor when privatizing a parastatal. Additionally, customs duties have been reduced, and customs management has been streamlined and reformed. The government introduced a value-added tax in 1999 as part of its efforts to increase domestic revenues.
In 2008, Mozambique exported U.S. $2.7 billion worth of goods and imported U.S. $3.2 billion worth of goods. Support programs provided by foreign donors and private financing of foreign direct investment mega-projects and their associated raw materials have largely compensated for balance-of-payment shortfalls. The medium-term outlook for exports is encouraging, as a number of recent foreign investment projects have improved the trade balance. This export growth is expected to continue. MOZAL I, a large aluminum smelter that commenced production in mid-2000, greatly expanded Mozambique's trade volume. In April 2001, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) approved financing assistance for MOZAL II, which doubled overall production capacity. Phase two went online in April 2003, five months ahead of schedule, using primarily Mozambican workers during construction. Traditional Mozambican exports include cashews, shrimp, fish, copra, sugar, cotton, tea, and citrus and exotic fruits. Most of these industries are being rehabilitated. In addition, Mozambique is less dependent upon imports for basic food and manufactured goods as the result of steady increases in local production.
In December 1999, the Mozambican Council of Ministers approved the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Trade Protocol. The Protocol will create a free trade zone among more than 200 million consumers in the SADC region. Implementation of the Protocol began in 2002 and had an overall zero-tariff target set for 2008; however, Mozambique's country-specific zero-tariff goal is currently 2015. Mozambique joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) on August 26, 1995.
Mozambique's first inhabitants were San hunter and gatherers, ancestors of the Khoisani peoples. Between the first and fourth centuries AD, waves of Bantu-speaking peoples migrated from the north through the Zambezi River valley and then gradually into the plateau and coastal areas. The Bantu were farmers and ironworkers.
When Portuguese explorers reached Mozambique in 1498, Arab trading settlements had existed along the coast and outlying islands for several centuries. From about 1500, Portuguese trading posts and forts became regular ports of call on the new route to the East. Later, traders and prospectors penetrated the interior regions, seeking gold and slaves. Although Portuguese influence gradually expanded, its power was limited and exercised through individual settlers who were granted extensive autonomy. As a result, investment lagged while Lisbon devoted itself to the more lucrative trade with India and the Far East and to the colonization of Brazil.
By the early 20th century the Portuguese had shifted the administration of much of the country to large private companies, controlled and financed mostly by the British, which established railroad lines to neighboring countries and supplied cheap—often forced—African labor to the mines and plantations of the nearby British colonies and South Africa. Because policies were designed to benefit white settlers and the Portuguese homeland, little attention was paid to Mozambique's national integration, its economic infrastructure, or the skills of its population.
After World War II, while many European nations were granting independence to their colonies, Portugal clung to the concept that Mozambique and other Portuguese possessions were overseas provinces of the mother country, and emigration to the colonies soared. Mozambique's Portuguese population at the time of independence was about 250,000. The drive for Mozambican independence developed apace, and in 1962 several anti-colonial political groups formed the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO), which initiated an armed campaign against Portuguese colonial rule in September 1964. After 10 years of sporadic warfare and major political changes in Portugal, Mozambique became independent on June 25, 1975.
The last 30 years of Mozambique's history have reflected political developments elsewhere in the 20th century. Following the April 1974 coup in Lisbon, Portuguese colonialism collapsed. In Mozambique, the military decision to withdraw occurred within the context of a decade of armed anti-colonial struggle, initially led by American-educated Eduardo Mondlane, who was assassinated in 1969. When independence was achieved in 1975, the leaders of FRELIMO's military campaign rapidly established a one-party state allied to the Soviet bloc and outlawed rival political activity. FRELIMO eliminated political pluralism, religious educational institutions, and the role of traditional authorities.
The new government gave shelter and support to South African (ANC) and Zimbabwean (ZANU) liberation movements while the governments of first Rhodesia and later apartheid South Africa fostered and financed an armed rebel movement in central Mozambique called the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO). Civil war, sabotage from neighboring states, and economic collapse characterized the first decade of Mozambican independence. Also marking this period were the mass exodus of Portuguese nationals, weak infrastructure, nationalization, and economic mismanagement. During most of the civil war, the government was unable to exercise effective control outside of urban areas, many of which were cut off from the capital. An estimated 1 million Mozambicans perished during the civil war, 1.7 million took refuge in neighboring states, and several million more were internally displaced. In the third FRELIMO party congress in 1983, President Samora Machel conceded the failure of socialism and the need for major political and economic reforms. He died, along with several advisers, in a suspicious 1986 plane crash.
His successor, Joaquim Chissano, continued the reforms and began peace talks with RENAMO. The new constitution enacted in 1990 provided for a multi-party political system, market-based economy, and free elections. The civil war ended in October 1992 with the Rome General Peace Accords. Under supervision of the ONUMOZ peacekeeping force of the United Nations, peace returned to Mozambique.
By mid-1995 the more than 1.7 million Mozambican refugees who had sought asylum in neighboring Malawi, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Zambia, Tanzania, and South Africa as a result of war and drought had returned, as part of the largest repatriation witnessed in Sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, a further estimated 4 million internally displaced people returned to their areas of origin.
See also
- Big government Welfare state leads to Nanny state, leads to Police state
- ↑ ISIS Claims Killing 10 Christians In Mozambique, Memri, Jan 14, 2024
Copyright Details | |
License: | This work is in the Public Domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code |
Source: | File available from the United States Federal Government [1]. |


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These commerce stories caught my attention this week.
PayPal Here: A triangle vs a Square?
PayPal capped a busy week by unveiling its new Here service, which allows merchants to swipe credit cards through a dongle plugged into a smartphone. PayPal Here introduces yet another shape to the payment dongle iconography: we've seen sleeves, tubes, semi-circles, the Square, and now PayPal's blue triangle. (Any similarity to Sabre's tablet is, we're sure, entirely coincidental.) In its launch statements, PayPal highlighted the differences between its service and Square's: in addition to credit cards, the service lets a merchant take PayPal's card (which the buyer can link to their bank account or credit card), or photograph and deposit checks. PayPal undercut Square's 2.75% fee for transactions by .05% and offered a debit card to businesses that returns another 1%.
How serious of a competitor is Square to PayPal? As SplatF's Dan Frommer noted in a recent post, Square is riding a steady growth curve and has helped merchants process sales for $4 billion worth of goods. But PayPal processes that much volume every two weeks, thanks to a 12-year head start. In its rollout today, PayPal reminded competitors and customers that there are more than 100 million PayPal users, and it emphasized its strong trust ratings among consumers. (A survey by Ogilvey & Mather last summer rated it just below the big three credit cards as a name consumers would trust to handle their mobile transactions.)
Earlier in the week, PayPal's VP of global product and experience, Sam Shrauger, showed off improvements to its mobile wallet at SXSW, and posted a handheld video of a demo. Shrauger's 17-minute video details a lot of the new features, but one in particular may give it an edge on the current competition: you don't need to own a Nexus G 4S to play.
Hashtags as coupons: American Express teams with Twitter
Will they always feel so forced, these social media tie-ins? Sometimes they feel like a shotgun wedding between the gruff old capitalist with money to throw at this "social media business" and the ingenue web service who is looking for some way to pay the rent.
American Expressed has teamed with Twitter to offer discounts via hashtags such as #AmexWholefoods and #AmexVirginAmer.
The latest example: American Express has partnered with Twitter in an ongoing promotion that asks you to sync your AmEx account with your Twitter account (easy enough) and then tweet AmEx deal hashtags (uh, what?) so everyone who follows you can see you're trying to save $5 at McDonald's. Maybe that's not fair: AmEx being the card for aspiring millionaires, the credit card equivalent of the BMW 300 series, there are better offers — from Virgin America and Whole Foods, for example. But we have to wonder: Does asking customers to pre-announce their intention to use a coupon jibe with AmEx's upscale image?
American Express had already taken steps to define itself as the social credit card, as Austin Carr points out in Fast Company. Its tie-in with Foursquare a year ago at SXSW put it at the pioneering edge of geo-commerce, and AmEx followed up by increasing the number of offers available through the check-in service. This partnership with Twitter is a logical next step, but the overt act of tweeting a coupon hashtag requires a bit more effort than the Foursquare check-ins. (Not much more, mind you, but a little.)
Since there don't appear to be any restrictions on the number of followers you're tweeting to, one likely outcome is that bargain hunters will set up a separate Twitter account for blasting out AmEx hashtags to two or three followers: AmEx, your wife, and maybe your bargain-hunting aunt. On the other hand, friends and followers may quickly learn to overlook the slightly spammy tags, and might even appreciate the tip. I know that seeing #AmExThreadless or #AmExApple rip by would prompt a quick search on my part.
Asymco: Smartphones will top 50% on June 28
The small team at Finnish market analysis firm Asymco has pulled together another package of clean infographics that show where the smartphone market has been and suggest where it's going. Visualizing data from comScore's January 2012 report on U.S. mobile subscriber share, Asymco's exhibits show that U.S. consumers were picking up about 767,000 new smartphones a week — interrupted by the aberrational purchase of nearly twice that many iPhones during the December holidays. Asymco's Horace Dediu notes that nearly 35 million U.S. users switched to smartphones last year and he predicts that smartphone market share will tip over the 50% mark on (the envelope, please) … June 28, 2012.
Looking at the shift in market share, the story is no longer really the wild growth in the share of Android phones, which dominated headlines last year. Now, the iPhone's staying power seems an equally impressive story. Certainly its ability to maintain growth (at the expense of RIM's Blackberry) is due in large part to its ability to create huge cultural events out of the release of every version of the device, conveying the urgency to upgrade or purchase — even if the reasons for doing so are soon forgotten. (Is anyone still flirting with Siri?) The fragmentation of the Android market makes that kind of event practically inconceivable on the Android side. But that same fragmentation contributes to Android's market share dominance, given the competition among handset manufacturers to deliver capable smartphones that can be sold for $100 or less.
Tip us off
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If you're interested in learning more about the commerce space, check out DevZone on x.com, a collaboration between O'Reilly and X.commerce.


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Eric Clapton called Robert Johnson "the most important blues singer who ever lived."
Saying that Johnson was a superlative guitar player, impassioned singer and masterful lyricist seems barely adequate to convey the importance of the work he accomplished in his 27 years.
Many of his songs became not only blues standards but would be a huge influence on rock music. Among his best-known songs are "Sweet Home Chicago", "Walkin' Blues" and "Crossroads Blues."
Although he traveled around most of the eastern US, and was a well-liked performer, Robert Johnson had little influence during his own lifetime. It wasn't until the early 1960s, when his original recordings were re-issued that he began to receive his due. His "Stop Breaking Down" was released in 1937, one of only 29 titles he ever recorded.
John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson was a contemporary of Robert Johnson who is known as an early innovator of blues harmonica, one of the first to turn it into a viable lead instrument. He perfected the "call and response" style of harmonica, where he alternated vocal lines with harp fills. Many of his recordings have become blues standards including "Good Morning Schoolgirl", "Sugar Mama Blues" and "Bluebird Blues". He recorded "Stop Breaking Down" in 1945 with Big Maceo on piano and Tampa Red on guitar.
When The Rolling Stones first got together in 1962, their goal was to be the best blues band in London. They steeped themselves in music of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, and Robert Johnson. Keith Richards wrote in 1990 about hearing a Robert Johnson record for the first time at the home of Brian Jones: "When I first heard it, I said to Brian, Who's that? Robert Johnson, he said. Yeah, but who's the other guy playing with him? Because I was hearing two guitars, and it took me a long time to realize he was actually doing it all by himself. The guitar playing - it was almost like listening to Bach."
Their early albums were full of American blues songs, but by the mid 60's the Stones were recording their own material exclusively, with some notable exceptions including "Love in Vain" in 1969 and "Stop Breaking Down" in 1972. Here's a 1994 video of The Rolling Stones performing "Stop Breaking Down" with Robert Cray playing lead guitar:http://youtu.be/S3Mywsl_5yM
As the Rolling Stones, Cream and Led Zeppelin brought Robert Johnson's music to listeners of the 60's and 70's, The White Stripes introduced Johnson's music to an entirely new generation. The Lo-fi duo combined blues, rock and punk and were part of the resurgence of "garage rock" in the late 90's, winning 3 Grammy awards along the way for Best Alternative Music Album. They released "Stop Breaking Down" on their 1999 debut.
Here are the complete versions of "Stop Breaking Down" tracked through time:


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Super Pixel Pus - A New Android Game from NullinVoid Inc. with Retro style graphics and game play, Tap all the octopus before the time runs out. Watch out for fish, sharks, jellyfish, seahorses and other sea creatures. Each level gets faster and faster, can you unlock every level and catch every octopus?
* Classic Arcade
* Thumb smasher
* Power-ups
* 9 levels
* 90 boards
* Addictive game-play


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Although people generally talk about "cancer", it is clear that the disease occurs in a bewildering variety of forms. Even single groups of cancers, such as those of the white blood cells, may show widely differing properties. How do the various cancers arise and what factors determine their progression? Clues to these two issues, at least for leukaemias, have now been provided by Boris Kovacic and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna). The results are published in the current issue of the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine and have extremely important consequences for the treatment of a particularly aggressive type of leukaemia.
It is well known that many types of cancer arise as a result of a mutation within a cell and prevailing wisdom has held that the stage of differentiation of this cell determines exactly what form of cancer develops. For example, it was believed that so-called chronic myeloid leukaemia or CML arises from bone marrow stem cells, while a different type of leukaemia, known as B-cell acute lymphoid leukaemia or B-ALL, results from B-cell precursors. This belief has been spectacularly refuted by the latest results from Boris Kovacic and colleagues in the Vetmeduni Vienna's institutes of Animal Breeding and Genetics and of Pharmacology and Toxicology.
The researchers have now shown that both CML and B-ALL arise from the most primordial kind of blood cell (long-term haematopoietic stem cells), although the pathways by which the diseases progress are different. The usual causes of CML and B-ALL are two highly related versions of the same oncogene, BCR/ABL. If the primordial blood cells are transformed – or made potentially cancerous – by a particular version of BCR/ABL, for technical reasons termed BCR/ABLp210, the result is chronic myeloid leukaemia or CML. The long-term haematopoietic stem cells remain and act as the dreaded cancer stem cells, or CSCs, which ensure that the disease persists. Curing chronic myeloid leukaemia requires the complete elimination of the CSCs. However, if the long-term haematopoietic stem cells are transformed by a related version of BCR/ABL, BCR/ABLp185, the result is a highly aggressive form of leukaemia, B-ALL. The finding that B-ALL actually originates from the same stem cells as CML was both unexpected and highly provocative.
Kovacic and colleagues have shown further that B-ALL only develops if the transformed stem cell is exposed to a particular growth factor, interleukin-7. If interleukin-7 is present (it usually is), the transformed long-term haematopoietic stem cells undergo a differentiation step to CSCs, which in this case correspond to pro-B cells. If interleukin-7 is absent during the initial phase of transformation, B-ALL cannot develop.
In other words, two distinct types of cell are involved in leukaemia development, the primordial cells (also termed the cells of origin of cancer) and the cancer stem cells that cause the disease to progress. Unless the CSCs are eliminated, fresh cancer cells can arise at any time and the leukaemia will recur. The problem is that current leukaemia therapies are not designed to target CSCs. The primordial CSCs in CML are highly quiescent and thus difficult to target. In contrast, the CSCs in B-ALL are abundant and have a high turnover rate, which makes them susceptible to treatment. Treatment of B-ALL may thus succeed in eliminating most CSCs but if even a single cell remains intact it is likely that the patient will relapse, possibly with an even more aggressive form of leukaemia. "A therapy that targets the bulk of tumour cells will not work," as Kovacic succinctly summarizes his results. "To treat B-ALL successfully it will be necessary for us to learn much more about the development of the disease. A combined therapy is required, so future work should aim at developing drugs that target the long-term haematopoietic stem cells from which B-ALL is derived."
The paper "Diverging fates of cells of origin in acute and chronic leukemia" by Boris Kovacic, Andrea Hoelbl, Gabriele Litos, Memetcan Alacakaptan, Christian Schuster, Katrin M. Fischhuber, Marc A. Kerenyi, Gabriele Stengl, Richard Moriggl, Veronika Sexl and the late Hartmut Beug is published in the current issue of the journal "EMBO Molecular Medicine" (2012, Vol. 4 pp. 283-297).
The work was initiated at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) and was performed together with groups at the Medical University of Vienna and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research in Vienna.
The scientific article in full text online (Open Access): http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/emmm.201100208/full
About the Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine
The University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna is the only academic and research institution in Austria that focuses on the veterinary sciences. About 1000 employees and 2300 students work on the campus in the north of Vienna, which also houses the animal hospital and various spin-off-companies.
Scientific contact:
Dr Boris Kovacic, E email@example.com, T +43 1 25077-5622
Distributed by:
Klaus Wassermann, E firstname.lastname@example.com, T +43 1 25077-1153
EMBO Molecular Medicine


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Texas Overhead Cranes
At Texas Overhead Cranes, we strive to provide the best possible equipment as well as services and repairs by our team of highly trained and experienced technicians.
At Texas Overhead Cranes, we strive to provide the best possible equipment as well as services and repairs by our team of highly trained and experienced technicians. We are the best value in the industry because of our commitment to quality components and controls as well as our outstanding warranty.
Houston ( (listen); HEW-stən) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in 2020. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the seat and largest city of Harris County and the principal city of the Greater Houston metropolitan area, which is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the second-most populous in Texas after Dallas–Fort Worth. Houston is the southeast anchor of the greater megaregion known as the Texas Triangle.Comprising a land area of 640.4 square miles (1,659 km2), Houston is the ninth-most expansive city in the United States (including consolidated city-counties). It is the largest city in the United States by total area whose government is not consolidated with a county, parish, or borough. Though primarily in Harris County, small portions of the city extend into Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, bordering other principal communities of Greater Houston such as Sugar Land and The Woodlands.
Boulevard Oaks, Braeburn, Braeswood Place, Briarforest, Brooke Smith, Carverdale, Central Northwest, Central Southwest, Cloverland, East Little York / Homestead, El Dorado/ Oates Prarie, First Ward, Fondren Gardens, Fort Bend Houston, Fourth Ward


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Agencies Offer Ideas for Preventing Chemical Disasters
Possible changes, prompted by a 2013 explosion of a Texas facility, include tougher safety requirements on industry.
Eight months after last spring's chemical fertilizer explosion that took 15 lives in West, Texas, the Obama administration has released a set of new regulatory safety options.
The nonprofit advocacy community appears encouraged, but industry less so.
An August 2013 executive order set a deadline of 90 days for an analysis from a working group including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Environmental Protection Agency, Homeland Security Department and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. But October's 16-day government shutdown, among other factors, delayed the release of nine options for comment, including some that would shift industry compliance with preventive measures from a voluntary to a mandatory basis.
The chemical facility safety and security working group defined its responsibility as seeking to "harmonize the collection and exchange of information to streamline enforcement, inform decision makers at all levels of government and first-responders and avoid duplication of regulatory requirements."
The result is a set of possible changes addressing the safe and secure storage, handling, and sale of ammonium nitrate; options for expanding risk standards and risk management programs at OSHA and EPA; and possibilities for adding chemicals to the list of those monitored for potential terrorist use.
The feedback has been eagerly awaited by environmental and safety specialists in the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters, which comprises 100 nonprofit groups that seek more mandatory safety requirements from industry. "The report is encouraging in two respects," said Rick Hind, legislative director at Greenpeace, a coalition member. "It's broader in its scope of options for addressing unfinished business that has allowed for gaps in regulatory protections that could help prevent future disasters. And it includes a number of changes involving the overarching issue of risk management," he said.
Hind added that the coalition would like to see a shift toward risk prevention, adding that "volunteerism is fine" in some areas, but "isn't cutting it" during a time when one in three Americans lives near a facility at risk of an industrial accident or terrorist strike, and "the only thing protecting us is pure dumb luck," he said. The coalition hopes that "regulatory authorities have the political will to work with stakeholders to make sure we don't miss a golden opportunity to prevent another West, Texas," said Hind.
In a contrasting view, the American Chemistry Council issued a statement saying it was encouraged to see the working group considering some of the strategies it recommended, "including opportunities to improve the interaction of existing regulatory programs, leverage industry programs, identify outlier facilities and create better mechanisms for sharing information with first responders. However, we are concerned that [the group] is looking at possibly pursuing options that will further complicate an overly complex regulatory system by creating requirements for assessing safer alternatives, as well as considering a regulatory model that would exceed the authority the agencies have today instead of focusing on how to improve current programs."
The independent U.S. Chemical Safety Board also has been coordinating with the multi-agency working group.
(Image via Gerard Koudenburg/Shutterstock.com)


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Could Toyota Engineers Have Anticipated Floor Mat Issues?
July 12, 2012
A June recall of Toyota's vehicles has sparked debate over how far engineers should go in designing for misuse of products. The recall urged Toyota to fix 154,000 vehicles to prevent problems that might occur when improper floor mats are used by owners. "The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat," said a statement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The latest recall, which involves the 2010 Lexus RX 350 and Lexus RX 450h, raises questions about the role of design engineers with its citing of "unsecured or incompatible floor mats." "Sometimes, owners use floor mats from another vehicle," Toyota spokesman Mike Michels told us. "Sometimes, they use aftermarket mats. We've even found carpet remnants stacked on the floor. The record was eight -- in that case, you couldn't even see the accelerator pedal."
Use of unsecured floor mats can be a problem when they get caught on the accelerator pedal. It's not known if the mats caused any of Toyota's incidences of unintended acceleration that dominated the media two years ago. To prevent such problems in the future, however, Toyota has had to recall hundreds of thousands of vehicles. In some cases, the company's engineers re-shaped the bottom of the accelerator pedal to create more clearance. In others, they modified the plastic pad on the floor and even altered the vehicle floor pan to make more room.
Automotive experts told Design News that Toyota engineers might have been able to prevent the floor mat issues. Even though the mats may have been inappropriate for the Toyota and Lexus vehicles, they said, the problem involved interaction between just two components -- floor mat and pedal. As such, engineers probably could have imagined the potential failure modes, tested for them, and taken preventative measures.
"They should have been able to test for most of the conditions -- when the mats slide around, when they are mispositioned, when they are upside down, and even when the driver and passenger floor mats are swapped," Steven Eppinger, professor of engineering systems at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said in an interview. "It's impossible to test for everything, but if you make your design more robust for the 50 things you can think of, then it's likely to be robust for the 20 things you didn't think of."
Although the number and severity of the owner complaints have not yet been made public, some observers believe that use of aftermarket floor mats by American consumers may have posed an unforeseen problem for Japanese designers. David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports Automotive Test Center, told us:
They don't consider aftermarket floor mats, especially in Japan where everything is neat and tidy. There were also other issues -- like people putting rubber floor mats on top of existing floor mats. These are forms of misuse that can happen. And any misuse that would be considered normal in the US car market should have been taken into consideration.
About the Author(s)
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Qualifications View this page in the refreshed REP
Gaining insights into the types required in a region and how they relate to actual skill levels can be useful in identifying and addressing skills gaps. This section describes the types of qualifications, in terms of qualification level on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework and field of study, that are ideally required in Puketapapa.
The estimate of ideal demand for qualifications outlined in this section is derived from our estimates of the demand for occupations by using assumptions about the types of qualifications which are ideally required for each occupation. Thus, our estimates do not describe the educational profile of the region's workforce, but rather the type of qualifications that are ideally required in the area.


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Chapter 15: Reconstruction and the New South
The Problems of Peacemaking
Radical Reconstruction
The South in Reconstruction
The Grant Administration
The Abandonment of Reconstruction
The New South
Debating the Past: Reconstruction
Consider the Source: Southern Blacks Ask for Help
Chapter 16: The Conquest of the Far West
The Societies of the Far West
The Changing Western Economy
The Romance of the West
The Dispersal of the Tribes
The Rise and Decline of the Western Farmer
Debating the Past: The Frontier and the West
Consider the Source: Walter Baron von Richthofen, Cattle Raising on the Plains in North America
Chapter 17: Industrial Supremacy
Sources of Industrial Growth
Capitalism and Its Critics
The Ordeal of the Worker
Patterns of Popular Culture: The Novels of Horatio Alger
Consider the Source: Andrew Carnegie Explains the Gospel of Wealth, 1889
Chapter 18: The Age of the City
The New Urban Growth
The Urban Landscape
Strains of Urban Life
The Rise of Mass Consumption
Leisure in the Consumer Society
High Culture in the Urban Age
America in the World: Global Migrations
Consider the Source: John Wanamaker, The Four Cardinal Points of the Department Store, 1911
Chapter 19: From Crisis to Empire
The Politics of Equilibrium
The Agrarian Revolt
The Crisis of the 1890s
Stirrings of Imperialism
War with Spain
The Republic as Empire
Debating the Past: Populism
America in the World: Imperialism
Consider the Source: Platform of the American Anti-Imperialist League
Chapter 20: The Progressives
The Progressive Impulse
Women and Reform
The Assault on the Parties
Sources of Progressive Reform
Crusades for Order and Reform
Theodore Roosevelt and the Modern Presidency
The Troubled Succession
Woodrow Wilson and the New Freedom
Debating the Past: Progressivism
America in the World: Social Democracy
Consider the Source: Katherine Philips Edson Boasts of Women's Influence on State Legislation, 1913
Chapter 21: America and the Great War
The "Big Stick": America and the World, 1901-1917
The Road to War
"War Without Stint"
The Search for a New World Order
A Society in Turmoil
Patterns of Popular Culture: Billy Sunday and Modern Revivalism
Consider the Source: George M. Cohan, "Over There," 1918
Chapter 22: The New Era
The New Economy
The New Culture
A Conflict of Cultures
Republican Government
America in the World: The Cinema
Consider the Source: Black Swan Records Advertisement in the Newspaper Crisis, 1922
Chapter 23: The Great Depression
The Coming of the Depression
The American People in Hard Times
The Depression and American Culture
The Ordeal of Herbert Hoover
Debating the Past: Causes of the Great Depression
America in the World: The Global Depression
Consider the Source: Mr. Tarver Remembers the Great Depression in a 1940 Interview with the Federal Writers Project
Chapter 24: The New Deal
Launching the New Deal
The New Deal in Transition
The New Deal in Disarray
Limits and Legacies of the New Deal
Debating the Past: The New Deal
Patterns of Popular Culture: The Golden Age of Comic Books
Consider the Source: Franklin D. Roosevelt Speaks on the Reorganization of the Judiciary, 1937
Chapter 25: The Global Crisis, 1921-1941
The Diplomacy of the New Era
Isolationism and Internationalism
From Neutrality to Intervention
Debating the Past: The Question of Pearl Harbor
America in the World: The Sino-Japanese War, 1931-1941
Consider the Source: Joint Statement by President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill, 1941
Chapter 26: America in a World at War
War on Two Fronts
The American Economy in Wartime
Race and Gender in Wartime America
Anxiety and Affluence in Wartime Culture
The Defeat of the Axis
Debating the Past: The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb
Consider the Source: Marjorie Haselton Writes Her Husband Richard in China, 1945
Chapter 27: The Cold War
Origins of the Cold War
The Collapse of the Peace
America After the War
The Korean War
The Crusade Against Subversion
Debating the Past: The Cold War
Debating the Past: McCarthyism
Consider the Source: National Security Council Paper No. 68 (NSC-68) Arms America, 1950
Chapter 28: The Affluent Society
The Economic "Miracle"
The Explosion of Science and Technology
People of Plenty
The Other Americas
The Rise of the Civil Rights Movement
Eisenhower Republicanism
Eisenhower, Dulles, and the Cold War
Patterns of Popular Culture: Lucy and Desi
Consider the Source: Eisenhower Warns of the Military Industrial Complex in His Farewell Address, 1961
Chapter 29: Civil Rights, Vietnam, and The Ordeal of Liberalism
Expanding the Liberal State
The Battle for Racial Equality
"Flexible Response" and the Cold War
The Agony of Vietnam
The Traumas of 1968
Debating the Past: The Civil Rights Movement
Debating the Past: The Vietnam Commitment
America in the World: 1968
Consider the Source: Martin Luther King, Jr., "I Have a Dream"
Chapter 30: The Crisis of Authority
The Youth Culture
The Mobilization of Minorities
The New Feminism
Environmentalism in a Turbulent Society
Nixon, Kissinger, and the War
Nixon, Kissinger, and the World
Politics and Economics in the Nixon Years
The Watergate Crisis
Debating the Past: Watergate
America in the World: The End of Colonialism
Consider the Source: Demands of the New York High School Student Union, 1970
Chapter 31: From the "Age of Limits" to the Age of Reagan
Politics and Diplomacy After Watergate
The Rise of the New Conservative Movement
The "Reagan Revolution"
America and the Waning of the Cold War
Patterns of Popular Culture: The Mall
Consider the Source: James Watt, "Despite Critics, Interior Dept. Makes Rapid Progress," Human Events, 1982
Chapter 32: The Age of Globalization
The Resurgence of Partisanship
The Economic Boom
Science and Technology in the New Economy
A Changing Society
A Contested Culture
The Perils of Globalization
America in the World: The Global Environmental Movement


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By : Jason Torchinsky
How To Power Your Home
Even if you're not directly in the path of Superhyperthunderricane Sandy, there's still a vast number of people who may be affected by losing electrical power. And, as we know, living without electricity means you're about six hours away from reverting to cannibalism, wearing skulls, and building a Thunderdome.
Generators are great to have in these situations, but let's face it, most of us don't have one. Or do we? You know that sleek wheeled box you use every day to go to work and get chicken wings? It's also a gasoline (or diesel) generator with seats and a radio. Let's see how to use it to power your house.
In the interest of being inclusive, I'll cover some very basic stuff here, so hardcore Jalops, please bear with me and feel free to mutter "duh" as often as you like.
The basic principle here is simple: your car generates electricity as it runs, to power the spark plugs and lights and engine computers and play your old mix tapes. The electricity is generated by your car's alternator (or, in older cars, generator) driven by a belt off the engine. Since the car's electricals run on DC (Direct Current, like a battery) and your house runs on AC (Alternating Current, like, um, everything in your house or an electric chair), we need a way to convert the DC from your car to AC in your house, and for that we use an inverter. Power Inverters are little boxes that plug into your cigarette lighter and handle the conversion. A number of new cars have them built-in nowadays, as well.
Method One: Acquire/Have a Power Inverter
This is by far the better way. Plug your inverter into your car's cigarette lighter/12V outlet.
Many commenters are pointing out that on lots of cars, the wiring to the cigarette lighter/12V outlet is pretty flimsy, and could possibly cause a fire. That's often true. So, to be safe, connection of the inverter directly to the battery is safest. You can use an accessory 12V outlet and clamp the leads to the battery terminals.
Then, connect an extension cord to the wall-style inverter outlet. There is some loss of power over long runs of extension cord, so try and park as close to your house or apartment as safe and run the shortest length of cord you can get away with to a power strip. Remember, many people die from carbon monoxide poisoning and electrocution so keep any cars in a well-ventilated area and use outdoor-approved equipment only.
What can the car and inverter actually power?
The inverter will convert your 12V DC from your car to 110V AC, but that doesn't mean you can power your whole house like normal. That's because your car's not a power plant and because of Watts, Amps, and other electrical goodies. If we think of electricity as water, Amps are the rate of flow of the water, Voltage is the pressure, and Watts are sort of the combined flow and pressure. The output from your car will vary based on the inverter, but let's use as an example a 440 Watt inverter, a type that's usually available for under 40 bucks or so.
If we divide Watts by the Voltage, we'll get Amps, which will help us figure out what we can run in our house. For a 440 W inverter, this would be:
440W / 110V AC = 4 Amps.
That's not a lot of Amps, so that's our limiting factor. Luckily, you can run a good number of things even with this low Amp rating. For example, a 60 Watt incandescent only uses about half an Amp. Your laptop's wall power requirements should only be about an Amp. I just checked my 42″ Vizio LCD TV, and it only wants 2.5 Amps. Most modern electronic, solid-state devices don't require much. So you could have a light, a laptop, and a TV. Not so different from many normal nights, right?
Some solid-state electronic devices, like a microwave oven, do demand much more power, often around 18 amps or so. You usually can't run one of these from a consumer-grade inverter, so wrap your burrito in tinfoil and stick it on the exhaust manifold while your idling car is letting you watch old Perfect Strangers episodes from your emergency DVD stash.
Okay, what can't I power with my car?
The tricky parts come when you want to power anything with a motor. Motors often drive compressors, and are used in some of the things you want to keep on the most, like an air conditioner or refrigerator. The issue is motors have different, higher demands when they're getting started as when they're up and running. For example, when my refrigerator is running, it draws about 6.5 Amps. You could find a car inverter that could handle that. The problem is when you start a fridge, it will draw anywhere from between 2-4 times the normal load amperage to get the motor started. That's why your circuit breaker or fuse for your fridge is usually 20 Amps or higher— it needs to be able to handle that brief, intense start up.
So, unless your fridge has a starting crank, it unlikely you can run it from your car. There are special camper refrigerators that are designed for these lower-power situations, and those are a better bet. Along with refrigerators, washing machines' motors usually draw too much current, and space heaters tend to be Amp hogs as well.
How long can I run my house from my car, then?
So, now that we generally know what kinds of things you can do with power from your car (play Angry Birds while cooking savory meat pies in an Easy-Bake oven and charging your Dustbuster) how long can you do this?
Let's say that you have a full tank of gas in your car. If you're just idling at, say, 1000 rpm, and the only load on the car is from the draw from the inverter, an average car should be able to run close to two days or so at idle. That's the car in neutral and everything else off save for the inverter. All cars will vary, based on engine size and overall condition of the car. A smaller engine may need to run at a higher RPM than a larger one to maintain the power draw from the inverter, so a smaller engine isn't always a guarantee of longer idle life in this case.
Not all cars' alternators put out the same wattage, so your inverter selection— and hence the amount of power you can get— will depend on this.
Your car isn't a purpose-built portable generator, but in an emergency, it's not a bad stopgap measure at all. Just make sure you leave enough gas to actually drive the car if you need it. No amount of iPad game high scores and light-bulb-cooked frozen tofurkey dogs is worth being stuck in an evacuation zone.
Dammit, I don't have an inverter. Am I screwed?
Only mostly! But not entirely. Your car is still generating 12V of power, and while not much in your house runs at that level, some things do. Car chargers for your phone and possibly laptop, many USB-powered devices (they're 5V, but car chargers are common), and, most importantly, a surprising number of appliances designed to run off of 12V. Look at this page here— they have specially designed 12V microwaves, sandwich makers, frying pans— hell a whole kitchen! You're most likely to find this stuff at real-trucker truck stops and possibly some camping stores.
So, if you can somehow get your hands on any of those, you could run a 12V line to your house to drive these. One way to do that is likely with jumper cables acting as the extension cord, and an accessory 12V outlet connected by its wires to the jumper cables. Be careful with doing this and only do it if you are familiar with how electricity works.
Good luck out there.
Other useful resources:
Survive Attack to Our Power Grid System (Weapon That Can Instantly End Modern Life in America)
Survival MD (Best Post Collapse First Aid Survival Guide Ever)
Backyard Innovator (A Self Sustaining Source Of Fresh Meat,Vegetables And Clean Drinking Water)
Blackout USA (EMP survival and preparedness)
Conquering the coming collapse (Financial advice and preparedness )
Liberty Generator (Build and make your own energy source)
Backyard Liberty (Easy and cheap DIY Aquaponic system to grow your organic and living food bank)
Bullet Proof Home (A Prepper's Guide in Safeguarding a Home )
Family Self Defense (Best Self Defense Strategies For You And Your Family)
Survive Any Crisis (Best Items To Hoard For A Long Term Crisis)
Survive The End Days (Biggest Cover Up Of Our President)
Drought USA(Discover The Amazing Device That Turns Air Into Water)
SOURCE : jalopnik.com


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OCEAN CITY – The Inlet surfing beach concept will return to Ocean City for a second year in 2008, giving surfers another year to enjoy the long-awaited designated surfing beach.
Ocean City Recreation and Parks Director Tom Shuster reported this week that due to the overwhelming success of the first year of the Inlet surfing beach pilot program, the program would continue.
Last year marked the first year for the pilot program, which gave surfers a large chunk of beach at the Inlet to be used Monday thru Friday.
The fight for a designated surfing beach dates back to the 1970's, when the surfing scene began to flourish in the resort area and beaches began to become increasingly more crowded.
The first designated surfing beaches came in the form of three rotating beaches. Each day there would be three beaches, which would rotate daily, that surfers could use. The three beaches were eventually reduced to two, causing more overcrowding for surfers. The demand for a fixed beach grew over the last few years, causing the town to examine the issue and eventually grant the request.
After receiving the support of the Mayor and Council and beach stand operators along that area of beach, the pilot program went into affect, marking the first year for a fixed surfing beach. Although the surf beach is closed on weekends and holidays, surfers still enjoyed their designated area during the first year.
At the close of the summer season, Beach Patrol Captain Butch Arbin reported an overwhelming success of the pilot program, noting no complaints.
"We have not had a single complaint from the public," Arbin said. "For a pilot program, I would not have thought it would have brought this positive of a response."
This week Arbin reinforced his earlier statements, recommending to the Recreation and Parks committee via letter that the program continue into its second year. "Last year's pilot program was a tremendous success," he said.
The committee agreed that with no complaints from the public and a smooth first year, the program was a success. The committee voted unanimously to continue with a second year of the pilot program. The designated Inlet beach area will reopen on May 27.
The two rotating surfing beaches will also return in the 2008 summer season. The rotating surfing beaches will pick up where they left off, opening on May 24 on 57th and 137th streets.


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Friendswood is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. The city lies in Galveston and Harris Counties. As of the 2010 census, the population of Friendswood was 35,805.In 2007, CNN/Money magazine listed Friendswood as one of 100 "America's Best Places to Live" for that year, making it one of 900 small towns recognized since the rankings first began in 2005. == History == Friendswood, situated in the northwest corner of Galveston County, has the distinction of being the only permanent town in Texas that started as a Quaker colony.
Avalon at Friendswood - Taylor Morrison, Bay Knoll, Baywood Oaks North, Clear Creek Shores, Forest Bend, Friendswood Trails by D.R. Horton, Friendswood trails, Greater Hobby Area, Heritage Park Village, Marbill Estates, Quakers Landing, Stevenson Park, The Forest of Friendswood, Wedgewood Village, West Ranch


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Story highlights
Report says the Olympics is the second biggest brand in the world
Games lags well behind leader Apple but is above Google
However, sports business analyst says they cannot be compared
He argues that brand value is more than just a financial concept
The Olympics may have started out as an idealistic showcase of amateur sporting prowess, but now it's a very big business.
In fact, it's one of the biggest brands in the world, claims a new report.
The four-yearly sporting spectacular – rated second in scale behind soccer's World Cup – is worth just over $47.5 billion according to valuation specialist Brand Finance. That leaves it behind only Apple ($70.6 billion) and above the corporate world's next biggest brand, Google ($47.4 billion).
These figures, based on the International Olympic Committee's financial statements, put the legacy of Pierre de Coubertin well above major sponsors such as Samsung ($38.2 billion), General Electric ($33.2 billion) and Coca-Cola ($31.1 billion).
The Frenchman – who believed in the right for everyone to take part – revived the Ancient Games in the late 1800s. Some 116 years after the first modern Olympics took place in Athens, the event is apparently now worth 134 times the National Bank of Greece ($354 million).
iReport: Send us your pictures and videos
While the Hellenic economy is all but crippled in these difficult economic times, the Olympics – originally dedicated to the gods, but now seemingly devoted to the dollar – is experiencing significant financial growth.
In the four years since the Beijing Games, total revenue has increased 38% to $5.1 billion. Of that amount, broadcast revenue has boomed by 51% to $3.9 billion (compared to just $1.2 million in 1960) with the largest spend by continent in North America ($2.3 billion).
These numbers are expected to go up again as the Olympic cycle moves from London to Rio in 2016, with Brand Finance – which has yet to rate soccer's World Cup or European Championship – reporting that revenue will pass the $6 billion mark.
In fact, another report – by Sportcal – states that this four-year cycle will be worth $8 billion overall, covering London 2012 and Vancouver's 2010 Winter Games.
As the IOC retains only 10% of its income to cover operating costs, this represents a healthy profit – much of which is plowed back into developing sport worldwide.
"There is no doubt that the Olympics 'Brand' is a formidable revenue generator and has huge value," says Brand Finance chief executive David Haigh.
"It has recently been criticized for heavy-handed brand control, but it should not be forgotten that in the current four-year cycle $4.6 billion has been generated for initiatives to develop sport worldwide. It is also expected to produce a net benefit to the UK economy of more than $25 billion."
However, British sports business expert Simon Chadwick argues that these figures do not show the whole picture – and he insists that brand value is more complex than mere numbers can portray.
"While it cannot be denied that the IOC contributes to the funding and development of sport across the world, many of the costs associated with running the Olympics are covered by host nations which, in turn, can divert resources away from investment in other sporting projects that might normally be pursued," Chadwick, of England's Coventry University Business School, told CNN.
"Moreover, the Games often inflict economic costs upon countries (such as increased congestion, increased crime, resource inflation etc.) that are not accounted for by the financial figures quoted here.
"The IOC has created value for the brand on the back of unprecedented protection; there can be few corporations across the world that oblige governments to pass legislation aimed at protecting the Games' interests. As such, the IOC is afforded competitive and commercial benefits that are essentially unique and highly distinctive."
Such restrictions mean that the likes of McDonald's (valued at $22.2 billion) have an almost free reign in the supply of food on the Olympic Park site.
And sponsorship deals can ensure a hefty return on investment for the corporations who sign Olympic partnership deals, known as the TOP program.
"Procter & Gamble expects to generate an extra $500 million in sales from London 2012, having already generated $100 million from Vancouver 2010," states the Brand Finance report.
"GE, which reportedly paid $200 million for TOP sponsorship rights covering London and Vancouver, already believes it has earned back its investment.
"GE uses its Olympic links to win big contracts in the host nations, particularly in developing nations such as China (after Beijing 2008) and the upcoming Winter Games in Sochi, Russia for 2014."
However, Chadwick believes sponsorship is only one factor in measuring brand value.
"All the sponsorship figure does is to tell us something about the value of the Games brand to a sponsor, rather than to consumers," he said.
"This sense of corporatism is further amplified by the geographic figures, which are heavily skewed towards North America. The implication is that there is little value in the Olympics brand in Africa (which provides just 1% of the broadcast revenue)."
As well as raising the issue of who the Olympics actually benefits, Chadwick believes the report gives a limited picture of the Games' brand value.
"It highlights the willingness of broadcasters and sponsors to pay for the right to be associated with the Games. The figures are therefore not necessarily an accurate indicator of true global worth in that there is no clear link to the peoples' purchase intentions and behavior in relation to the brand," he said.
"What the precise nature of that value might be is open to question. It is also somewhat worrying that a significant part of the brand value attributed by this study emanates from only two sources: broadcasting and sponsorship.
"The domination of broadcasting revenues is an especially worrying point as it implies that the majority of brand value is delivered by media spectacle alone.
"This casts some doubt on the extent to which consumers and fans value the brand, but also implies that the generation of brand value is delivered by broadcasters and sponsors, and not by the IOC or the inherent or intrinsic qualities of the products it delivers."
Chadwick argues that it is wrong to compare the Olympics with corporations such as Apple and Google, who operate on different timeframes and in a different business environment.
"The methodology used to value a brand like Apple will be entirely different to that employed to value the Olympics – it is therefore scientifically unsound to make any such sort of comparison," he said.


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• ort •
Pronunciation: ort • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. Leftover, scrap of food that remains after a meal is finished. 2. A scrap, a piece of trash that is left over from any job, as cleaning up the orts on a construction site.
Notes: This word is remarkable in that it is one of the few words in English actually spelled as it is pronounced. It has been in the English language since the 14th century and is making yet another comeback in the 21st. How is that for staying power? It is almost always used in the plural, orts, just as is the case with its near synonyms, leftovers and crumbs.
In Play: The original meaning of today's word apparently was "leftover animal feed", but my experience with animals leads me to believe that animals are careful not to leave food behind. In fact, they tend to help us out with our leftovers: "Ernie, would you let the dog back into the kitchen to clean up the baby's orts?" However, orts can be any kind of leftovers you can imagine: "Oh, the good committee posts go to the senior faculty; junior faculty are left the orts." (Sounds like a faculty feeling its orts, doesn't it?)
Word History: Today's Good Word is probably the reflex of an unattested Old English noun that we surmise was something like *oræt, a cognate of Early Modern Dutch ooraete, now found in a few dialects as oort or orte "remains of food or fodder". If this guess is correct, or- is an old prefix of uncertain meaning found in a few frozen forms like ordeal. It would be akin to the German prefix ur- "proto-" seen in that word every spelling bee enthusiast knows, Ursprache "proto-language". The T is what remains in
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